Facebook faces tough questions over Canadian data collection

OTTAWA—A senior Facebook executive has apologized to Canadians whose accounts were compromised, telling a parliamentary committee on Thursday that the social media giant is “sorry” for what amounts to “a huge breach of trust.”

Kevin Chan, head of public policy for Facebook in Canada, faced tough questions from MPs about the company’s past practice of allowing third-party developers to access their users’ personal data, a policy that may have violated Canadian law.

After agreeing that Facebook needs to be transparent and honest, Kevin Chan, head of public policy at Facebook Canada, ignored reporters’ questions as he left a parliamentary hearing Thursday. (Facebook Canada )

Just 272 Canadians participated in a personality quiz that allowed the researcher behind the Cambridge Analytica scandal to harvest the data of more than 622,000 Canadians, explained Robert Sherman, Facebook’s deputy chief privacy officer, who also testified before the committee. In most cases, the data was mined without the knowledge or consent of those affected.

That’s a problem, said Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, since Canadian privacy law requires companies to obtain “meaningful consent” before collecting and sharing personal information.

“Where was the consent of 620,000 users? Perhaps you’re in compliance with the law now, but it seems pretty clear that you weren’t in compliance with the law previously,” Erskine-Smith said.

Sherman did not challenge Erskine-Smith’s statement, but said the social media behemoth was up front with its users about how it handled their personal information.

“I think it’s important to note that, as our (policy) changes in 2014 reflect, we don’t think that’s the right way for the platform to operate and it’s not how the platform operates today,” Sherman said.

Sherman was testifying via teleconference on the second day of hearings by the House of Commons ethics committee into the Facebook scandal. Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm, has been accused of harvesting personal details of 87 million Facebook users, and selling its analysis of that data to political campaigns in the U.S. and the U.K.

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Both Sherman and Chan spoke Thursday about the need to restore users’ trust in Facebook’s handling of personal data.

Chan, who agreed with Erskine-Smith that the company needs to be transparent and honest, ignored reporters’ questions as he walked calmly out of the building.

The Star requested an interview with Chan, who at one time served as policy director for former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, and sent Facebook Canada a detailed list of questions.

In response, the company issued a statement saying it is open to the federal government bringing in tighter rules for social media companies in the wake of recent scandals.

“We have said publicly, including during today’s hearing, that we are not opposed to regulation,” the statement read. “We don’t think it’s a question of ‘if” but rather it’s about getting regulations right.”

Chan, who is the company’s public face in Ottawa, was also asked Thursday why he has not registered as a lobbyist, despite meeting with numerous federal cabinet members, including Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

“At no time has Facebook come close to meeting the threshold for registration as a lobbyist,” Chan said. “We will of course register, if and when we meet the threshold.”

Chan said that Morneau requested his assistance in setting up a Facebook Live event for his recent budget. New Democratic MP Charlie Angus expressed some doubt over that explanation.

“You are registered as the company’s leading public policy-maker in Canada,” Angus said.

“My light bulb breaks, I don’t call the head of General Electric to come and fix it. And yet you show up to help him figure out how to get more ‘likes.’”

The committee is scheduled to resume its study of the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook scandal next week.

Note - April 19, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version to clarify the specific subject of the senior Facebook executive’s apology.